Cyberbullying on the Rise, According to Boston Study

As the summer of 2015 is nearing a close, we must now look forward to the fall season and more specifically, the return to school for millions of children around the world.

For teenagers, this can be an exciting time to once again reunite with their friends, teachers/mentors, and social group in general. Many parents, on the other hand, battle a mix of emotions that range from excitement for their child to continue pursuing an education, to the fear of the unknown.

Right at the top of this “fear of the unknown” list is that parents need to constantly be aware of the issue of cyberbullying. According to the news and the media, cyberbullying is becoming more and more evident in our school systems, and parents often feel strapped with what they can legally do to prevent this for their children.

With public schools and colleges beginning in just a few short weeks, the city of Boston is doing what they can to raise awareness not only in the nearby New England states, but for the rest of the country as well.

The Boston Globe reports “a study of more than 16,000 Boston-area high school students suggests cyberbullying is on the rise, most sharply with girls as victims and abetted by the prevalence of smartphones among teenagers.”

The most alarming statistic found from the study was that the percentage of the students who said they experienced cyberbullying jumped from 14.6 percent to 21.2 percent over a six-year period.

“The percentage of girls reporting incidents involving bullying or harassment on forums such as websites and social networks shot up 10 percent, while incidents targeting boys increased 3 percent, according to the study. At the same time, reports of in-person bullying decreased by 3 percent over the period.”

Unfortunately, the harsh reality of a teenager’s life in 2015 is that there is no escape – when the school day ends, the threat of being a victim of cyberbullying is just beginning.

Studies such as this one in Boston show us that cyberbullying is not only a problem we’ve started to become aware of in recent years, but a problem that is becoming worse with each passing year.

For more information: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/08/02/study-boston-area-teens-suggests-cyberbullying-rise/R4fQNCY13o4mrpe41dwagI/story.html

With your help, we can make a difference. Help end the fight against bullying. Join the conversation using the hashtag #StopBullying and #BeTheChange.

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